Kyrgyz President Orders Probe Of Plane Collision

September 27, 2006 09:42 GMT

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Kyrgyz President Orders Probe Of Plane Collision

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(RFE/RL)
BISHKEK, September 27, 2006 -- Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev today ordered an investigation into a ground collision between a Kyrgyz passenger plane and a military plane from the U.S.-led coalition, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.

Bakiev ordered the Transportation Ministry to conduct the probe into the September 26 incident.

The Kyrgyz Tu-154 passenger plane was moving onto the runway to take off when it struck a military refueling plane, igniting a fire on the military plane.

U.S. military spokesperson Anne Carpenter said the fire was quickly put out.

"The emergency service of the Manas International Airport and U.S. firefighters stationed at Manas air base responded to an emergency and extinguished a fire on a KC-135 stratotanker on the airfield at Manas International Airport at approximately 8:00 p.m. last night," Carpenter said.

There were 52 passengers and nine crew members on board the Kyrgyz aircraft and three aboard the U.S. plane. No casualties were reported.

(with material from AKIpress, Interfax)

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